Achieving Business Compliance

• 5 partnerships secured for progression to trial stage following successful event with 10 large retailers
• established a review of the concept and content of the 'big 3' food aggregator platform's Food Safety Charter
• Food Standards pilot final evaluation is underway
• undertaken successful Food Hygiene LA engagement through a well-attended webinar with over 490 attendees

Key successes in the quarter

• Enterprise level regulation: Following a successful event with 10 Large Retailers and their Primary Authority Partners, project has secured 5 partnerships to progress to trial stage. Relationships with these businesses are adding value to the FSA for example, the ability to quickly generate insight as part of our review into options to address Household Food Insecurity. 
• Online assurance: We have made positive progress with the ‘big 3’ food aggregator platforms, in the development of their proposed Food Safety Charter by establishing a review of its concept and content, with a view to publicly acknowledging the collaboration and progress in quarter 2. The programme has commenced a discovery project looking into what further support LAs require when regulating businesses operating online. 
• Food standards pilots: Following completion of the England and Northern Ireland pilots on 31 March 2022, final evaluation is underway.
• Food hygiene: The headline policy approach and evaluation has been agreed, enabling the project to progress. We have also undertaken successful, early LA engagement through a well-attended webinar which has helped to generate a robust questions and answers. 

Any concerns/risks

• Food standards: Project resource was affected (through the need to prioritise our response to the sunflower oil shortage) which could risk a delay to Food Law Code of Practice changes being submitted, and LA Consultation commencing in Q3 as planned. Mitigation in place should prevent adverse effects on overall delivery. 

Next steps

• Enterprise level: Continued activity to develop the Large Retailer Proof of Concept trial, which is due to commence in Q3. Discovery into other business sectors who may be suitable for new regulatory approaches has re-commenced to further develop this workstream.
• Online assurance aggregator charter: Continued development of a framework to establish how additional online operator relationships may be managed in future
• Food standards: Evaluation and scalability report will be reviewed by ABC programme board and take a decision on whether to roll out the new model in England through 2023/24.
• Food hygiene delivery review: Project will have completed informal consultation with local authorities on the headline policy approach.